Playing For Keeps
by mollydolly360
Summary: Life at Canterwood Crest Academy is finally falling into place for fifteen year old Taylor Felix. She has the best horse she could ever ask for, the perfect boyfriend, and she has proven that she belongs at the prestigeous school. But will a visitor from the past threaten to change everything? Sequel to Something To Prove. Please read and review! :)
1. Home Away From Home

I smoothed the rich brown duvet over my twin bed and stepped back to survey my dorm room. It was just as it had been before I'd gone home for the holidays; the cream walls contrasted nicely with the dark hardwood floors, fluffy, colourful rugs lay beneath both beds on either side of the room and under the dark blue couch, lime green pod chair, purple beanbag chair, coffee table and TV, and the usual clutter of living all made the room familiar. It felt like I'd never left Canterwood Crest, even though I'd been away for over two weeks.

I grinned across the room to Carly Hart, my roommate and best friend. "Are we good, or what?"

"Totally good. We unpacked _everything_ in under fifteen minutes. That's got to be, like, a record." Carly swept her straight blonde hair out of her eyes and flopped onto her bed. "I'm ready for a nap. What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Hmmm," I mused. What was I going to do? I could go down to the stable to see my buckskin Hanoverian mare, Glamour. I really missed her while I was away, and she needed some attention and exercise. Or I could settle down in the common room and relax with a book. Or… I could send Luke a text and see if he wanted to do something. I blushed as the thought crossed my mind. Luke Ramsay was my boyfriend. _Hehehe_, I couldn't get over saying that. I had a _boyfriend_. And the perfect boyfriend, too. He was smart, funny, sensitive, and _really_ cute. Yes, I would see if Luke was here yet, and maybe he would want to get hot chocolate or something.

"Ooh, thinking about a certain someone?" Carly said teasingly.

"Maaaybe." I giggled. I dug my Blackberry out of my pocket and sent a quick text to Luke, asking if he was on campus yet. Immediately, I felt my heart start to race. Pointless anxiousness. But even though Luke and I had talked a ton over the break, we hadn't seen each other since _that night_. The night of Canterwood's Christmas ball. It had been a crazy evening, to say the least. Luke's girlfriend at the time, Amanda Fields, had been caught making out with Luke's roommate, and Luke had been devastated. I'd invited him back to my dorm, Orchard, so that he could regroup and avoid people. Somewhere in the time between sitting outside in the cold on the steps of Canterwood's ballroom and drinking hot chocolate that I'd made, Luke realized that he had feelings for me. I'd had a huge crush on him since the first time we met, but we'd been nothing more than close friends. I thought back to the moment when Luke had confessed that he liked me. It had been… magical; like in a movie, or something, only more surreal. The two of us were sitting on one of the couches in Orchard dorm's cozy common room. We had both leaned in, and I thought we were going to kiss, but at that exact moment a loud group of girls had come into the building and Luke had to go back to his own dorm. After promising to keep in touch over the winter break, he left.

My phone buzzed and I opened the reply from Luke. "Ohmigosh, Luke wants to see me. Now!" I squealed.

"That's great, Taylor!" Carly exclaimed. "Are you nervous?"

"A little," I admitted. I went over to my tall dresser and pulled out a pair of dark blue skinny jeans. Then, turning to my closet, I began pawing through the recently-hung sweaters. I found a pale blue oversize sweatshirt and held it up for Carly to see. "Too casual? I thought maybe this, with a dark grey tank top underneath."

"Nope, it'll look super cute."

"Ok. Good. Alright." I made myself stop talking. Nervous babbling was one of my worst habits. I slipped on the outfit and shook my golden brown hair out of it's ponytail. Straightened, my hair hung down to the middle of my back. I adjusted my shirt so that the wide neckline hung off of one shoulder. I quickly applied a dark brown liner to my eyes and darkened my lashes with a light coat of mascara. Deep breath in, exhale slowly. I smoothed a coat of peachy gloss over my lips, and slipped into a pair of tall chestnut-coloured leather boots. They were a Christmas present from my parents, and I was totally in love with them. Brass buckles on each ankle jingled softly when I walked. I yanked on my thick wool coat and a pair of light grey knitted mittens. Another deep breath, and I was waving good-bye to Carly as I walked out the door.

…

**Just a short little chapter to get this story rolling. :) I have lots more on the way!**

**Hope everybody is having a good holiday!**


	2. Figuring Things Out

My boots thudded dully on the cobblestone walkway, which had been swept clean of snow. I felt my excitement grow as I neared the Sweet Shoppe, Canterwood's cute little cafe/bakery. Luke had said that he would be waiting inside. I pushed open the door to the Sweet Shoppe and was met by a blast of warm, delicious-smelling air. I scanned the tables for Luke.

I spotted a familiar Logan Lerman-look-alike sitting at a round table in the corner, and walked over. It took all of my willpower not to sprint the short distance. I slid into the seat across from Luke and smiled shyly.

"Hey! You made it!" Luke said. His casual greeting made me wonder if any romantic feelings were all just in my head. But then Luke reached across the table and grabbed my hand, squeezing my fingers gently. _Nope, not imagined_, I thought breathlessly.

"Of course I made it," I replied. "When have I ever passed up the chance to get hot chocolate?" Luke chuckled at my joke and I smiled. "But seriously, I'm glad we were able to meet up before classes begin."

"I missed you over the break, Tay," Luke said softly. His warm blue eyes made me want to melt into a puddle on the floor.

"I missed you too. I'm glad to be back at school, as weird as that sounds."

"Yeah, I get that." Just then, we were interupted by a waitress asking what we wanted to order. Luke ordered a regular hot cocoa and I got a white hot chocolate. I willed the waitress to hurry up and leave so that Luke and I could continue our conversation. She left after what felt like looong time. When she was out of earshot, Luke took a deep breath and said, "I know we don't need to rush into anything, but I was really wondering..."

"Yeah?" I prompted.

"Well, what are we? Like, are we going out? Or are we just going to take things _really_ slow and stay friends for a bit?" Luke stared down at the tabletop, as if worried about my answer.

"Um, well, I..." I trailed off and tried starting again. "I really like you Luke, you know that. But you're the one who should call the shots right now, because of the Amanda thing being so recent." Luke snorted.

"I'm so over Amanda. Really. She wasn't worth my time then, she isn't worth my time now," he stated. "If I'm the one calling the shots though..." Luke looked at me coyly. "Taylor, would you like to go out with me?" I couldn't help but giggle at the formality of his question. "I'm not kidding! Don't laugh, you'll bruise my fagile ego." At this, I actually burst out laughing. "What," Luke asked with a smile twitching the corners of his lips. "Is so funny?"

"You," I managed to say between giggles. I straightened in my seat and composed myself. "You sounded so formal, like some old-time gentleman. In all seriousness though, yes. I would love to go out with you." Luke's smile broadened.

"Good, I'm glad." Luke looked down at where our hands lay on the table. "Say, The Slice? This Friday?"

"I'll be there." Luke and I grinned across the table at each other. Any anxiety I had felt about seeing Luke again was completely gone. I felt greatful, not for the first time, that Luke was the kind of guy I could totally be myself with. _I really lucked out_, I thought. My mind started to drift, and I felt myself itching to draw Luke. To sketch his perfect face and capture the expressions that crossed it. I would draw him in black and white, but use bright blue paint for his gorgeous eyes. I would-

"Taylor?"

"Huh?" I asked in confusion. Luke was grinning at me in amusement.

"I said your name five times," Luke said.

"Sorry!" I exclaimed sheepishly. "Just a little distracted right now."

"Hmmm, am I that boring?" Luke asked with a look of mock concern.

"No! Not at all," I laughed. "What were you saying?" I put my elbow on the edge of the table and propped my head on my free hand as I listened. Luke talked about having to find a time when one of the rooms in the music building was free so that he could get some quiet practice in. We chatted about our holidays for a while longer before leaving the Sweet Shoppe and parting ways, promising to text later.

I practically skipped back to Orchard, I was in such a good mood. I couldn't help but feel optomistic about the rest of the school year. I had great friends, the perfect boyfriend, and I was riding better than ever. What more could I ask for?


	3. Back Into Things

Monday morning came sooner than I would have liked, but I made it through the school day without any drama or trauma. Not that I was surprised by that, as nothing big ever happened to me. Which I was pretty grateful for. What was getting me through the day was the fact that I had a riding lesson right after class, and I hadn't ridden Glamour yet. Not once since before I left for winter break, which was wrong on so many levels. I was _dying_. I need to ride NOW. After dropping off my extremely full and heavy messenger bag and changing into riding clothes, I practically sprinted down to the stable.

The stable was busy, as usual, so I made a bee-line for the big box stall with _Glamour_ etched into the gold nameplate on the door. "Hey, mare," I said softly as I unlatched the door. Glamour swung her golden head around and eyed me. She nickered quietly and came to stand squarely in front of me. She sniffed my hair as I rubbed her cheek. I was still slightly taken aback by the obvious display of affection; Glamour had been just as enthusiastic about seeing me when I'd come to the stable yesterday and Saturday to lunge her, but this was also the horse that had major trust issues and pretty much never owed any affection towards me. But maybe distance really did make the heart grow fonder. Either way, Glamour had been following me around like a lost puppy.

"Taylor? Mr. Connor wanted to let you know that your lesson will be delayed about half an hour," Doug, one of the head grooms, informed me.

"Alright, thanks for letting me know," I replied. When he was gone, I turned back to Glamour. "An extra half hour will be plenty of time to get you nice and shiny."

I left the stall and went to the large tack room to collect my things. The tack room was spacious and organized, and I walked over to the corner where my big tack trunk sat. I lifted the dark mahogany lid and gazed with satisfaction at how neat my box was. It was seperated into three sections; the first one had my grooming kit and bathing stuff, the second part had things like my helmet, an extra pair of paddock boots, and saddle soap, as well as a small box with my various gloves and a few hairnets, and the third compartment had a small wooden rack for my saddle, jumping boots and other leg wraps, and a bunch of saddle pads sitting in a tidy stack at the bottom. What can I say, I'm a bit of an organization freak.

I gathered everything that I would need from my trunk, as well as my saddle and bridle that were hung on a sturdy rack and hook above my box. With my arm ladden with tack, I hurried back to Glamour's stall to get her ready.

...

Forty minutes later, I led a tacked-up Glamour into the indoor arena. The space was heated, so I'd left my heavy winter jacket back in the barn. I shivered in my red waffle-knit top, eager to get moving. I was the first one in the arena, which was pretty typical. Once mounted, I began warming up.

Glamour felt light and spingy under me, no doubt feeling fresh after so much time off. I kept her pace slow and even as we trotted around the ring. Or at least, I tried to. Glamour shook her head and fought my hands, pushing to go faster. She broke into a canter and it took all of my strength to keep her from taking off. We almost cantered in place for a few seconds, before Glamour gave in and came back to the trot. And _this_ was why I liked warming up alone. No witnesses. But I knew the privacy wouldn't last long, and soon the rest of the class trickled in. I was in the middle of trying to get Glamour to collect her canter and make a small circle at the far end of the arena when Mr. Connor walked in. I slowed Glamour and joined Nicole, Troy, Andy, and Ben in front of our instructor.

"Welcome back," Mr. Connor said with a smile. "I hope everyone had a good break, and that you're all ready to get back to work." I nodded along with everyone else, and exchanged a look of excitement with Ben. We were _so_ ready! I brushed a smear of dust off of my extra warm black winter breeches, impatient. "Now, if all of you are warmed-up, we will begin with a sitting trot," Mr. Connor said.

I moved Glamour out to the wall and asked her to trot. We made our way around the arena several times, doing every exercise Mr. Connor asked of us with precision. By the time Mr. Connor signaled us to walk, I thought my arms might fall off from holding Glamour back.

"Since this is the first lesson back, we're going to start off slowly," Mr. Connor said to the group. "I've set up a small course of low verticals to ease everyone and their horses back into things." _Good, we're going to work __back up gradually,_ I thought. _That's just what we need_. "But since I feel that that would be too easy, you'll do it without stirrups." Everybody groaned in unison and Mr. Connor grinned. "Come on, guys, it's not that bad." He turned to me. "Taylor, you'll ride first. Keep in mind how fresh Glamour is, and be prepared for anything." I nodded and turned towards the jumps at the far end of the ring.

Glamour and I took the jumps easily, nailing each distance and keeping our pace rhythmic. The tiny two-foot jumps barely took any effort at all, and both Glamour and I were erady to do the course again as soon as we'd finished.

"Nicely done, Taylor," Mr. Connor praised. "You kept Glamour under control and both of you stayed focused on the jumps, despite how easy they were. Watch that Glamour's canter doesn't get flat, though. You have to keep her stride light and bouncy even when you're trying to be calm and patient. Pay attention to how her hind-end is engaged while you're doing flatwork, and practice maintaining impulsion at any speed." I nodded, storing away the critiques for careful analysis later.

The rest of the lesson passed quickly, and I was pleased with how Glam and I did. We had lots to improve on, but we were preforming well. I cooled out my horse and let my mind fill with daydreams of galloping across open fields and soaring over jumps.


End file.
